It is common practice today to line waste baskets, trash cans and other containers with plastic bags to contain the garbage or trash and to protect the container from contact with the refuse material. The plastic bag used as a liner for the container is usually oversized in order to enable the person installing the bag to have room to tie a knot for fastening the bag about the edge of the container. Besides being an unnecessary expense in having to use oversized bags, the excess material tends to block the free passage of the trash or refuse into the trash can liner. It is a common occurrence to have heavy materials, such as food waste, pull the liner away from one side of the container. Additional trash and food waste can then fall onto the loosened liner, pushing the liner further into the container and also fall outside of the liner directly into the container, thus defeating the purpose of using a trash can liner. This problem is particularly sensitive in medical and industrial applications where it is of utmost importance to maintain the sterility and cleanliness of the environment.
Attempts have been made to solve slippage of the trash can liner by using bungie cords or bands strapped about the liner and the container. While this does help to solve the problem, it creates a second problem; in order for the cord or band to properly hold the trash can liner, it must be tightly stretched about the container. This presents a potential for serious injury when the bungie cord or band is released to remove the trash can liner. Attempts have also been made to use clips to hold the edge of the trash can liner; however, these have been found to be only marginally suitable on straight edged containers where the clip can grip the maximum amount of the trash can liner. On rounded containers the clip would only tend to grip at spaced extreme points on the clip edge. The bungie cord and clip also presented an additional problem in that both were separate pieces that could become lost, misplaced, or accidentally thrown out with the trash.
Another common problem arises in draining oil from an engine. The oil should be collected for recycling; however, each time the oil is changed a large container is lost to the oil collection location. It would be convenient if this oil could be collected in a plastic container liner and then delivered to the collection location in the plastic bag.
Paint, plaster, chemicals, etc., all present problems in that the container used is lost once it is contaminated with the material, regardless of how large or small an amount is placed in a container. Here again, if the container had a disposable liner, the container in which the residue is contained could be reused many times.